Congressman Crowley Opposes Misguided Republican Budget Legislation

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx) released the following statement on his opposition to the Republican budget reconciliation bill, which puts millionaires, billionaires and special interests ahead of middle-class families, children and seniors.

“This Republican Congress has no vision, but they have one favorite trick: balancing our nation’s books on the backs of children, seniors and our most vulnerable citizens while providing the wealthiest of Americans with a free ride. In the case of today’s vote, Republicans went back on their promise to cut big spending areas, like defense, and instead are now pushing for deeper cuts to middle-class families, children and seniors. The only thing worse than this misguided approach is the fact that Republicans keep doing it over and over again. Today’s vote comes on the heels of House Republicans voting to, once again, end Medicare as we know it.

“Last week, I met with seniors from the Elmhurst-Jackson Heights Senior Center to talk about the very cuts in this bill, such as Social Services Block Grants, and how they will impact their health, their livelihood, and their future. While my Republican colleagues may be able to sleep at night knowing they are hurting our most vulnerable citizens, I certainly cannot. Rest assured, I will continue to fight to make sure my constituents have the services they need and rely on and that we come up with real, responsible solutions to our nation’s deficit problem.”

Congressman Crowley is a seven-term representative from the 7th Congressional District of New York, which includes sections of Queens and the Bronx. He serves as chief deputy whip in the Democratic leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.